AMNA NAWAZ: Among the 220 hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack is 79-year-old Chaim Peri.
A father of five and grandfather of 13, Peri was a 61-year resident of kibbutz Nir Oz, where he and his wife raised their kids.
One of his children, Noam Peri, joins us now as the representative of the 73 people kidnapped from Nir Oz.
Noam, it's good to see you.
Thank you for being here.
NOAM PERI, Daughter of Hostage: Thank you for inviting me.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, when we first met in Israel earlier this month, I know the shock of what your family and your community had been through was still very visceral, that barbaric attack, which your mother witnessed and managed to escape from.
Two-and-a-half weeks later, how do you look back on that day?
NOAM PERI: We know now -- we know the story of my father.
But we also know that this community, this peaceful agricultural community of 350 people, has undergone a massacre.
And we know now that one out of four people from this community of Nir Oz is either murdered or kidnapped.
This is hard to imagine.
There is no one family that is left untouched in this community.
AMNA NAWAZ: And you know or have a connection to everyone, including one of the hostages who was released earlier this week, Yocheved Lifshitz.
What was it like for you to see her released and to hear her talk about what her time was like in captivity?
NOAM PERI: I know both of the hostages that were released.
One of them were neighbors.
Yocheved was actually even a teacher of mine back in kindergarten.
She taught me how to swim.
And I know her family.
And they also gave us precious, precious first signal that my father is still alive, because Yocheved was able to say that she saw him and she knows he's alive and he's OK. AMNA NAWAZ: That was the first time you have gotten any information on your father?
NOAM PERI: That was the first time we got any information since the moment he was taken from his home, from the safe room of his home on Saturday, October 7.
AMNA NAWAZ: What have Israeli officials been telling you?
How have they been briefing you on their efforts to try to free your father and the others?
NOAM PERI: So, they're not really briefing us on the efforts, which I found -- I find -- I find it understandable.
But we definitely wanted a humanitarian organization to contact the hostages in the meantime.
And, unfortunately, I think, to the best of my knowledge, this has yet to happen, although we have asked the Red Cross to check on the hostages and their conditions and supply medicine.
So we don't have any inflammation that this indeed happened.
AMNA NAWAZ: You have been here speaking with lawmakers.
That's why you're here in Washington right now.
NOAM PERI: Yes.
AMNA NAWAZ: What are you specifically asking them to do?
NOAM PERI: So, I'm here to first tell the story of my father and of others, and ask them to be the voice, to show the world, for people to understand that these people are elderly and kids and even babies that were taken, and to tell their story.
I think that's the first ask that I'm asking them.
And the second is to do whatever in their power and each of them in his position to make sure all the hostages come back and released immediately.
AMNA NAWAZ: What would you like to see your government to do?
I mean, we should mention, if your father is held in Gaza, the Israeli bombardment continues.
Do you want that bombing to stop until he's freed or so there's room for negotiation?
NOAM PERI: The only thing I want from my government is to make sure our hostages are a first priority.
AMNA NAWAZ: Do you feel that's the case right now?
NOAM PERI: This is what I hear from them.
And I hope that this is the case.
Obviously, I know there are other goals that needs to -- that needs to happen.
But it's not my -- it's not my priority.
My priority is to get my father back, to get the children and the babies back.
AMNA NAWAZ: In terms of what you want to see them do, does that mean you support whatever steps they take if they call for a cease-fire, for hostages to be released, or they arrange for a hostage swap similar to what they did to free the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit lead in 2011?
You would support anything?
NOAM PERI: I would support anything that makes my father come home safely and the other hostages.
And I don't want to get into details, because I'm not the expert.
AMNA NAWAZ: Noam Peri, we are thinking of you and your father and your family and all the other families missing loved ones right now.
Thank you for being here.
NOAM PERI: Thank you.
Thank you again.